I am going down memory lane tonight. The first time I attended the TT was in 1965. I was a 16 year old pillion passenger on a cousins, friends Vincent Black Prince. For the 250cc race we stopped in the forecourt of garage at Rhencullen. We could hear Jim Redman winding up the 250 Honda six almost from the start. He rushed by us with Phil Read on the 250 Yamaha in hot pursuit. As we all know Phil got alongside a few times but his motor blew up, and Jim went onto win.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and we, my wife Denise and I,was visting the Island for a short visit with friends inluding Jim and Kwezi Redman. For one of the first practise sessions Jim took us around the course in his hire car to find a suitable place to view and then Jim saw his friend Andy Kershaw the DJ. We stopped there and viewed. It then hit me and took me back that the race that first brought me the magic of the Island and its Superstars had come full circle and I was now with that first hero of the TT for me. He was escorting me around and had subsequently had stayed with us at my house. I had to tell Jim of my feelings there and he just simply replied, Ya, life is really surprising.
Life is so strange. I have another very interesting personal story about Jim and Phil, which for now I will leave for another time.